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Catholic colleges are called to minister to same-sex attracted students with love and support, while emphasizing a commitment to chastity, prayer and the Church’s clear teachings on sexuality and marriage, argued Father Paul Check, director of the Courage apostolate, in an interview with The Cardinal Newman Society.

Especially in light of the Supreme Court’s recent decision to legalize same-sex marriage, Catholic colleges should not conflate love with total acceptance and advocacy of same-sex behavior, Fr. Check stressed. He noted that there are ways to offer true love and healing to same-sex attracted students without falling into advocacy.

It is important to draw the distinction between “love” and “complete acceptance of modern society’s distorted sexual landscape,” Fr. Check explained.
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If faithful Catholic schools are to survive, there needs to be faithful teacher training programs to prepare the next generation of Catholic educators, argued Dr. Janette Boazman, chair of the University of Dallas education department. Boazman spoke to The Cardinal Newman Society about the University’s new Catholic teacher certification program, and how it will prepare teachers to lead students in moral formation.

“Catholic school leaders and teachers have a duty to be models of moral behavior for their students,” said Boazman. “It is their integrity that brings forth their ability to truthfully guide students morally and spiritually, and to minister to others in the educational setting.”

The new graduate-level teacher certification program at University of Dallas is described as being “[r]ooted in church doctrine and educational research.” Current and aspiring Catholic school teachers will be taught “to provide a Christian education that integrates faith into all teaching and learning experiences.” Read more...

Catholic colleges need to be mindful of the moral and spiritual state of their students, said Dr. Michael Foley, associate professor of patristics at Baylor University, in an interview with The Cardinal Newman Society.

Foley, who recently authored Drinking with the Saints: The Sinner’s Guide to a Holy Happy Hour, noted that the statistics surrounding college drinking are becoming too drastic to ignore and that Catholic colleges must go beyond the public safety approaches of their secular counterparts.

“Catholic institutions are rightly trying to address this problem,” he said. “I do not know what the solution to college drinking is, but I do know that there will be no adequate solution without administrators caring about the moral character and immortal welfare of their students’ souls.” Read more...

The best Catholic schools are those that remain true to their purpose and mission, says The Cardinal Newman Society’s Dr. Jamie Arthur, senior fellow and manager of the Catholic Education Honor Roll. That schools remain steadfast in the faith is increasingly important for parents who desire a genuine Catholic education for their children yet find themselves in a society where religious freedom, traditional marriage and the ability for schools to hire according to their mission are all under attack.

One of the latest developments on this front concerns Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone’s efforts to shore up the Catholic identity of his schools in the Archdiocese of San Francisco. The archbishop has received criticism for adding language in contacts and handbooks which would ensure that teachers cannot publicly oppose Church teaching, but rather assent to authentically hand on the Catholic faith. Read more...

Cardinal William Baum, one of the principal players in Pope St. John Paul II’s constitution on Catholic higher education, Ex corde Ecclesiae, has passed away at the age of 88 after a long illness, according to Catholic News Service. He died on July 23 in Washington, D.C., at a residence run by the Little Sisters of the Poor.

“Cardinal Baum served as the head of the Congregation for Catholic Education during some of the most pivotal years,” said Cardinal Newman Society President Patrick Reilly. “Ex corde Ecclesiae provided Catholic colleges, for the first time, with clear guidelines for maintaining Catholic identity. Even though it continues to challenge the practices at many Catholic institutions, a cadre of faithful Catholic institutions is setting a new standard for Catholic higher education by putting Ex corde into practice.”

Cardinal Baum, who served as the archbishop of Washington, D.C., from 1973 to 1980, died just weeks short of Ex corde’s 25th anniversary. A cardinal for more than 39 years—the longest tenure of any cardinal in U.S. history—he also served as prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education from 1980 to 1990, the year Ex corde was promulgated, and then head of the Apostolic Penitentiary until he retired in 2001. Read more...

The first step to protecting the religious freedom of Catholic schools and colleges is to clearly define and enforce their mission and purpose, according to experts recently gathered by the Family Research Council (FRC).

Legal and educational experts took part this week in the FRC’s webinar, “The Court and the Classroom: How the Supreme Court's Redefinition of Marriage Affects Religious Schools.” The event was offered in direct response to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, which effectively legalized same-sex marriage, and to equip educators with the practical steps needed to defend their religious missions.

Greg Baylor, senior counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), kicked off the event by emphasizing the need for schools to clearly define their missions and their purpose.“ Be consistent and clear about what you believe,” Baylor stated. Many schools might believe that flying under the radar is the way to go in the wake of the Supreme Court decision and ensuing discrimination lawsuits. Catholic schools and colleges should in fact be doing quite the opposite, he said. “Root [your policies] in your theological convictions and then apply them consistently.” Read more...

Catholic Education Daily is an online publication of The Cardinal Newman Society to inform Catholics about the latest developments from the world of Catholic education. Catholic Education Daily contributes to the Society's mission to promote and defend faithful Catholic education.

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